


The Ballerina and the Baker

by abananapepper



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Modern Era, Rare Pairings, no one is related to each other, welcome to rare pair hell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 11:17:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3976093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abananapepper/pseuds/abananapepper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olivia is sent to pick up some sweets from Honey Cake Confections for her dance company. And, as it happens, Gaius is the one who fills her order and helps her deliver it.</p><p>Written because the amount of Olivia/Gaius in this fandom is abysmal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cupcake

Olivia checked the number scribbled on the scrap of paper in her hand. Double checked. Triple checked.

Not that it would have made a difference, really; this was the only bakery on this street. Or the surrounding streets, for that matter. But she wanted to be sure. God, how embarrassing it would be if she walked in and tried to pick up an order at the wrong bakery?

The tiny bell rang as she pushed open the door. An orange-haired boy poked his head out from the back room and spotted her.

“Oh, hey. Welcome to Honey Cake Confections, what can I do you for?” he asked in a voice much deeper than Olivia could have expected. She tucked the paper into her pocket before taking a deep breath and walking up to the display case. She’d rehearsed this. She could do it.

“Hello, I’m here to pick up an order for Bryers,” she said, voice flat. “It was placed in advance about a week ago.”

“Breyers, like the ice cream?” he asked, pressing the “feed” button on the receipt machine and grabbing a pen.

“Yes. Er, no. I mean...” She shook her head a little. “B-R-Y-E-R-S, Bryers.”

He finished writing down the name and went into the back, giving her a quick “just a second, then” over his shoulder.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. A minor stumble, but she’d fixed it. Now she just needed to get the order, and she’d be home free. She’d be on her merry way to rehearsal, with an armload of sweets that Miss Lampen had very generously ordered for them, and…

“Hey.” The bakery worker interrupted her thoughts. She startled, then smiled sheepishly. “There’s a lot here, do you want me to help you get it to your car?”

“Oh! Oh, uh, um, I, I don’t, that won’t be, ah, you see, I, I, I walked here, and, and…” she stammered, trying to find her train of thought and put it back on it’s track. It apparently couldn't be saved, as she continued talking in fragmented, flustered thoughts. “My, my studio, the walk isn’t, and it’s such a nice day…”

“Slow down, Cupcake. So you walked, right? I’m telling you, you won’t be able to see over the boxes while you’re walking. I’ll help you deliver them, if you want.”

Olivia’s head spun. Things had veered so off track from the script she’d practiced on the way here. He was offering to help carry them? Who did that anymore? Then again, if she really was going to have that much trouble with them, she could probably use the help.

“If, ah, if you don’t mind? Oh, wait, I wouldn’t want you to have to leave the shop unattended just for me. Or, or I wouldn’t want you to have to close! The walk, it, it’s not that far, I can just…”

But he was already gone, back into the back room. Olivia wrung her hands. What had she gotten herself into?

After a moment, another worker trudged to the front; a girl, with long red hair tied up into a ponytail. She didn’t even look at Olivia as she leaned on the cash register counter, blowing bubbles with her gum and popping it loudly. The orange haired boy appeared, eyes just barely poking above the pile of boxes.

“Um,” she said, watching the stack wobble as he walked, “are you sure all of those are mine?”

The boy held up a note card with the name “Bryers.” “I assume so, this was taped on top of the whole pile. Do me a favor and take a couple of these, would you?”

“Oh! Right! Of, of course!” She lifted a few of the white boxes from his arms, then turned for the door. “Ready?”

There was a hint of a laugh in his voice as he answered. “Lead the way, Cupcake.”

 

* * *

 

It truly was a beautiful day out. Wispy clouds dotted the sky, and a light breeze blew now and again.

“So, what’re all the sweets for?” the boy asked, trying to make smalltalk to pass the time. Olivia found it easier to answer now that he wasn’t staring at her.

“Oh, tonight is the first night of rehearsal for a dance show I’m in, and our choreographer decided to congratulate everyone for making the cut. Plus, the first night of rehearsal is always a little more laid back on the first night with Miss Lampen. She has us all listen to the music she’s picked out, and then she’ll take us in small groups to mark the pieces in their entirety.”

“So, she orders the sweets, but puts them in under your name?”

“Only this once. She can usually pick them up herself, but the studio is getting a new sound system today, and she needs to be there to supervise. And I don’t know how to spell her name, so it was just easier this way.”

“Makes sense.” He stretched as much as he could without dropping anything. “Must be nice.”

“Oh, it is. Miss Lampen is my favorite choreographer. Her dances are so much fun, and have so much life in them. Of course, I mostly dance in Mr. Gordon’s shows, and he’s much more traditional.”

“So, what kind of dance is it? Ballet, or whatever?”

“Mr. Gordon is solely ballet. Miss Lampen is Jazz, and Modern, and sometimes Hip Hop, though I’ve never been in a Hip Hop number for her, which is probably for the best.” Olivia laughed a little, remembering the one and only time she’d auditioned for a hip hop show. Everyone else seemed to be made of liquid with the way they’d moved. Her rendition of the moves had been jerky and uncoordinated, to say the very least.

The boy hummed thoughtfully as he glanced over at her. She quickly looked ahead at the sidewalk. She tried to create a curtain of hair between herself and the boy, before she remembered she’d already tied it up in a messy bun to save time later.

“S-so, are you in school or anything?” she asked, trying to take the focus off herself.

“Me? Nah. Nah, Mom and Dad are on the road to retirement, so they wanted me to take over Honey Cake. They come in for a few hours each day to make sure I haven’t burned the place down, but for the most part, the place is all mine.” Olivia saw him shrug out of the corner of her eye. She wondered how someone could be so passive about their future, about such a huge responsibility.

“That must be nice. You’ll be able to do whatever you want with it.”

“Well,” he corrected, “not whatever I want. We’re well-known for our honey cakes, of course, but also our devil's food and angel food cupcakes, our honey walnut cookies, our bear claws…” he ticked them off on his fingers. “If I had my way, we’d get rid of the bear claws. Or re-name them, but they’re something sold at more than just Honey Cake, so I can’t really do that.”

“Don’t like bears?”

“I just don’t like the idea of eating any part of a bear, let alone the claws.” He pulled a face, which made Olivia giggle.

“I suppose you’re right. I… oh, wait, this is my studio.” They stopped in front of a tall, brown building that looked like it was just office space. “Oh, um, go ahead and just… just put your boxes on top of mine, I can take the elevator up to my floor.”

“You sure? I don’t mind walking you up,” he offered, and she shook her head furiously.

“N-no, that’s quite alright. Thank you though. And thank you for all your help getting here…” she glanced at his name tag, realizing she hadn’t gotten his name before now. “Gaius.”

He grinned and handed over his portion of the sweets. “No problem, Cupcake. See you around.” And with a half-wave, half-salute, he turned on his heel and started walking back to the bakery.

Olivia pushed open the glass door with her back and headed straight for the old, creaky elevator. If she got stuck in it, it wouldn’t be the first time, but the idea of the baker following her up to the studio made her jittery. 

She stepped into the metal box and hit the button for the thirteenth floor, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. It hadn’t been that bad. He’d been very nice, and she’d even managed to hold a conversation with him. Plus, now she knew the owner (or future owner) of the bakery. Mr. Gordon always told his dancers that connections were everything in the entertainment world. While a bakery owner wasn’t exactly a connection she expected she’d need, it was better than nothing.

The elevator shuddered to a stop on the thirteenth floor, and she walked down the hallway into Studio A, where a woman with cherry-red hair was talking with two men in overalls. Not wanting to interrupt, Olivia slowly closed the heavy door, so it wouldn’t slam shut. She then placed the boxes on the collapsible tables at the end of the room and began stripping down into her leotard and tights.

“No shoes today,” Miss Lampen said over her shoulder to Olivia, before she could sit down and root around in her bag for them. The choreographer then returned to her conversation with the two workers.

Other students began to trickle in as Olivia started on her stretches. They joined her on the floor, following their usual warm-up routine. Just as they finished, Miss Lampen ended her conversation with the workers and hooked up her iPod to the new sound system. She turned to her dancers and grinned.

“Thank you all so much for auditioning and taking the parts for my show!” she said. “This is the first show I’ve done in ages where we have some new faces in the room. We’ll do introductions in a moment, but for now,” she gestured to the table, “dig in. I’ll start the playlist of songs for the show in just a moment.”

Olivia couldn’t help but smile. Miss Lampen’s good moods were always so infectious. It was like her nerves from the delivery had evaporated, like the event itself had never happened. She followed the others to the tables and grabbed a paper plate.

“Um, Miss Lampen?” one of the boys said as they opened one of the boxes. He pointed to the contents without a word. Olivia’s heart jumped into her throat when she saw what was inside the box: cupcakes with white icing, and chocolate icing that wrote out a phone number and “call me, Cupcake”.

With a face as red as a strawberry, Olivia said, “Please eat those first.”


	2. An Order of Bear Claws

It was two weeks before Gaius saw the girl he called “Cupcake.” _Two weeks._

When the first day had passed, he hadn’t thought much of it. She was a dancer, and was obviously a very busy woman, probably. Who knew how long her first rehearsal would last?

The second, third, and fourth day were pretty much the same. Maybe she had rehearsal literally every day. Maybe she commuted far to get to rehearsal; maybe she took the train, and then walked from the station to the studio, and used every ounce of her phone battery to play games and listen to music so that creepy dudes didn’t hit on her.

It wasn’t until the fifth day that he began to realize _he_ could probably be grouped into that “creepy dude hitting on her” category. On top of the cupcakes, he’d supplied two boxes of various fruit pies, free of charge. They weren’t actually on the menu yet, anyway, so he couldn’t really sell them. (Though, mark his words, they’d be a best-seller as soon as his parents handed over the bakery to him.)

He spent the next three days fretting over it whenever he wasn’t doing anything. Were the pies really that bad? Did the icing on the cupcakes smudge? God, did he write down his number wrong? Had he just... come on too strong? To keep himself busy, he spent more time messing around in the kitchen, perfecting future Honey Cake menu items. He even gave Severa that weekend off, despite weekends being their busiest times.

It was Tuesday that he finally calmed down and thought rationally about it. So she didn’t call him. So what? He hardly even knew the girl. Hell, he didn’t even know her first name. It wasn’t really surprising that she hadn’t called, given how shy she was. And despite how… absolutely stunning she was, it wasn’t the end of the world.

That was the exact morning that he came into the bakery to find an order form on the fax machine with the name “Bryers” on it. It was to be picked up the next day.

Gaius told himself it couldn’t be her. Her dance teacher person always picked up the orders, or so she’d said. Plus, the last order was put way in advance. There was no way it was actually hers. Still, he had Severa prepare the order, because if it was somehow Cupcake’s order (which there was no way it could be,) he wanted to be able to tell her honestly that he hadn’t had any hand in making it.

And then the entire event slipped his mind, until the next morning when, bright and early, Cupcake walked into the Honey Cake with the most determined look Gaius had ever seen on anyone. And that included her face the first time he’d met her, when she’d rattled off her pick up order like it’d been a script she’d studied for weeks.

He flashed a confident smile, even though he felt like someone could have knocked him over with a feather. “Heya, Cupcake. Fancy seeing you here.”

She, apparently, had no time for games. She marched right up to the counter and slapped down a flyer. He turned his head to read it. ‘Light Lines, performances by Urban Press Dance. June 12-14, 8 pm. Tickets $20 at the door.’

“I,” she said, in what was probably the most demanding voice she could muster, “have ordered more pastries from your shop, and you, in return, are going to hang this up where your customers can see it.”

Gaius suppressed a laugh. God, she was cute. “You realize you didn’t have to bribe me to hang a flyer in here, right? We have a community billboard over by the sofa corner.” He nodded towards it.

Her face threatened to turn the same shade as her hair, but she continued on as though he hadn’t said anything. “I was unable to pay in advance, but I understand my total will be $24.53, correct?”

She pulled the money out of her pocket - exact change and everything - which made it hard for Gaius to add “plus tax.”

* * *

“God! Uuuugh!” Olivia yelled into a pillow. She sat on the floor of her cousin's living room, in a pair of borrowed pajamas. “I feel so stupid!”

“Bear claw?” Anna offered, pushing the white box of treats toward Olivia.

“No,” Olivia mumbled.

Anna shrugged. “More for me.”

Olivia threw the pillow at the other girl. “I’m beginning to think you convinced me to go through all that nonsense just so you could get free food out of it.”

“I am appalled that you would even suggest such a thing. You needed somewhere to hang posters, and cafes get more attention than telephone poles.”

“It’s a bakery, Anna.”

“Plus,” Anna continued, ignoring Olivia, “you wanted to see that guy again. Or at the very least, get back at him somehow,” she amended once she saw Olivia about to protest. “So the best thing you could do was order a box full of the things he supposedly hates. So what if you didn’t have to? Now we have a box full of delicious revenge!”

“So it was because you wanted free food.” Olivia fought to keep a smile off her face. “How typical of you.”

“How typical of _you_ to _not get his number again!”_ Anna threw the pillow back, hitting Olivia in the stomach. “Jesus, girl! Hot boys who can bake like hell don’t knock on your door every day!” She took a bite of her bear claw.

“Anna, I just don’t have time…”

“Don’t you give me that. That’s what you said with that other guy, too. What was his name, Stan? Stat?”

Olivia sighed. “Stahl.”

“Stahl, then. And when he moved on, you were mopey about it for way too long. I don’t want to have to stitch you back together when you let this one get away. Especially if you won’t eat sweets from the best bakery this side of town.” A knock on the door stopped her train of thought. “Pizza’s here. Back in a sec.”

Olivia curled into a ball. She hardly knew this guy. She was lucky she even knew his name, and that was because he was wearing a nametag. They could be totally incompatible, and besides, she needed to focus on her dancing.

“All I’m saying,” Anna said, walking back in and plopping two boxes of pizza next to her cousin, “is that if you have time to sleep over at my place two nights in a row, you have time to get a cup of coffee with the bakery boy. You don’t have to like, go steady with him or anything, but if you’re interested in him, a cup of coffee with a cute boy won’t kill you. I think there’s a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. marathon on, you wanna watch that, or are you still set on a Disney Princess marathon?”

* * *

“Coffee?” Gaius asked, leaning on the register counter. “I’ve actually never had coffee before.” His tone was lighthearted enough, but Olivia felt her heart sink.

Coffee was the only lead Anna had given her. What else did people do for “get to know you” dates? Not the movies, because if he talked during the movie she would have to discreetly relocate herself in order to, y’know, watch the movie. And not an amusement park, because he’d find out about her extreme aversion to roller coasters before he even got to know her. She supposed they could go to the park, but the forecast had said rain for the next few days.

“Plus,” he added, gesturing to the people sitting on the couches, at the tables, and on the patio seating, “you’ve caught me on a bit of a busy day. I’d have to phone in some of my part-timers.”

“Oh,” was all Olivia could say for a moment. “Oh, well, um, I, I should get going then, I guess. I, I have rehearsal in an hour, and, and I…” she didn’t know where she was going with this, but her mouth kept prattling on, trying to fill the silence.

“Excuse me, miss?” someone said from behind her. She turned, and found herself staring into the face of an old woman. “Are you in line?”

“Oh, n-no, sorry. Please, go ahead of me.” She turned back to Gaius. “Excuse me.”

“Wait,” he said, before she could get too far, “what time are you done your rehearsal or whatever tonight?”

She blinked. “Not til nine-thirty, at the earliest.”

He seemed to be calculating something in his mind. “Alright then. Swing by here whenever you’re done, alright? I’ll be here.”

Olivia hesitated, then nodded. “Alright then,” she repeated. He shot her a smile before turning to to old woman and thanking her for her patience. Olivia walked out of Honey Cake Confectionery feeling like her stomach was full of clouds.


	3. The First Date

Olivia knew it was going to be a grueling day of rehearsal fifteen minutes into warm-ups.

Miss Lampen had decided today was going to be a day for an aerobic warm-up, and after individual stretching, she started them on sets of jumping jack push-ups - one jumping jack, drop to the floor, one push up, hop back up, repeat. 16 reps, 6 sets. Usually, this was something she’d reserve for the end of the warm-up.

Days like this meant something was going on in Miss Lampen’s personal life; she kept herself (and therein, her dancers) moving, with little room for thought. After warming up, she launched straight into choreography, full-throttle. It wasn’t until someone asked if they could grab a drink of water that she realized she wasn’t just dancing for her.

“Take fifteen,” she apologized, shaking her head. Olivia collapsed under the barres, digging through her dance bag for her water bottle. If she was honest, she appreciated Miss Lampen’s energy today. Whenever Olivia stopped pushing herself, the thought of her date after rehearsal would sink into her stomach, which no longer felt full of clouds. It felt like static, like scribbles a child had drawn with a pen.

“Head’s up!” Someone called, and just as Olivia looked up, a small, thin packet hit her square in the face. “I’m so sorry!”

Olivia looked at the packet that had fallen into her lap. It was a drink mix - wild berry iced tea. She couldn’t help but smile.

“No problem, Sumia.”

“I was meaning to give it to you, anyway.” The girl sat down next to Olivia. “I just got them, and I wanted your opinion.”

Olivia dumped the packet into her water bottle, then shook it up, letting the powder dissolve. This was almost a tradition, at this point - Sumia would get a new water flavoring, and she and Olivia would test it together. Olivia couldn’t even remember how it’d started at this point.

“One, two, and…” The girls each took a sip of their newly flavored waters.

Olivia recoiled at the taste. She felt like she'd been punched in the mouth by a fist made entirely of sugar. There wasn't even any hint of a berry or tea flavor, either, which only made things worse.

"Nope," Olivia said, standing. "That one just doesn't do it for me."

Sumia nodded in agreement, handing her water bottle to her friend. Olivia plodded out of the room to the water fountain, dumping out the contents of both bottles and filling them up again. While she waited, she craned her neck to look into Studio C. Mr. Gordon was rehearsing with his group of first through third graders, which was always one of Olivia's favorite things to watch. Like most of the older dancers, she bought tickets to their recitals and cheered them on. Unlike the others, though, she usually tried to go to every performance.

The music started back up in Studio A. "Crud," Olivia said under her breath, screwing the cap back on Sumia's bottle and booking it back through the doors. She tossed the water onto her and her friend's respective bags and lined up for across the floor exercises.

Across the floors had always made Olivia nervous. Anyone watching her practice made her nervous, aside from her choreographers. But across the floors were the worst. The entity of the studio was watching her, looking to make sure they did better than her. Looking for the slightest screw-up.

Slightest screw-up. The whole coffee proposal came rushing back to her. Distracted, she didn't remember her jete until too late. She gave a half-hearted leap into the air.

"Higher, Olivia, higher!" Miss Lampen called from the other end of the room before turning her attention to the next group. "Five, six, seven, eight!"

Olivia jogged to the end of the line, but kept herself moving once she got there. Frustration coursed through her. This is exactly why she'd told Stahl (and Anna) that she didn't have time for any kind of relationship. If it was going to distract her from dancing, it wasn't worth it.

She took her position once she got to the head of the line, her lips drawn together in determination.

"Five, six, seven, eight!"

For the rest of rehearsal, Olivia was on. Every fiber of her being was focused and dedicated to her movements. Nothing crossed her mind aside from counts and choreography. It wasn't until Miss Lampen told everyone to sit for notes that Olivia realized how exhausted she was. She crumpled next to her dance bag, digging out her notebook and pencil with one hand while holding her water bottle to her lips with the other.

"Excellent work today, everyone. I do have a few notes." Miss Lampen read off her note pad, rattling off a few specific things to certain dancers. Olivia had all but tuned out when her name was called. "Olivia. You looked like you were ready to kill someone. I'll go over expressions and general mood for each number next week, but for now, try to keep it neutral, alright? Or at least not quite as menacing as today." Her tone was light and joking, but Olivia's heart sunk. She nodded, writing in her notebook. _Don't be so angry._

Sumia nudged her with her shoulder. "Hey," she said, voice low, "it's not the worst note you've gotten. You were spot-on today."

Olivia gave her a half smile, but took another drink to avoid needing to say anything. She hated talking about notes.

The door to the studio opened, and Miss Lampen looked up from her note pad. "Oh, Robin. What can I do for you?"

The stage manager took a few steps into the room and gave a small wave. "I just wanted to let everyone know that the rehearsal schedule has been finalized, and is outside on the call board." He turned to Miss Lampen. "I'm sorry I haven't been here during rehearsals, Cor, Mr. Gordon's show closes this weekend, and then I'll be all yours. If you want to sit down and have a meeting beforehand, just shoot me an email." And with another wave, he excused himself from the room.

Miss Lampen shook her head and turned back to her notepad, rattling off a few more notes before concluding rehearsal for the day. Olivia joined in the clapping that ensued before throwing her T-shirt and jeans back on.

"Do you want to pick up some food on the walk back?" Sumia asked as they descended the stairs.

Olivia's heart sank into her stomach, remembering her date with the bakery boy. "I can't," she said. “Not tonight. Sorry, Sumia."

Sumia smiled, giving a tiny shrug. "No worries. Another night, then?"

Olivia snapped a picture of the call board before following her friend down the stairs. "I'll send you the schedule," she offered.

"Oh, crap. I always forget to take a picture of the board, you're a lifesaver."

The girls exchanged small talk all the way down the stairs. Once they reached the street, they exchanged hugs, and Olivia waved as Sumia walked the opposite of direction the bakery.

A feeling filled her stomach, then slowly crept up into her chest. She wasn't sure what the feeling was; she thought she was going to be sick, and her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her head was foggy. It was either panic or excitement, and she couldn't tell which was worse.

 _Deep breaths,_ she told herself. _Deep breaths._ The night air was warm and muggy, and it didn't do much for her nerves, but she tried to slow her breathing nonetheless.

The Honey Cake was now in sight. She considered walking straight past it - she could chalk it up to how tired rehearsal made her, or just forgetting, or... or anything, really. Anything at all.

She shook her head. She could do that, but she shouldn't. She wouldn't. She'd been stood up before, and she wasn't about to do it to someone who had deliberately stayed late at work to see her.

With a deep breath, she took the last few steps to the bakery and pushed on the door.

Olivia's heart sunk. The door wouldn't budge.

* * *

Gaius had been somewhat distracted all day.

Not distracted enough to mess up his job, mind you, but distracted enough that everything he did, he did just a little bit slower. Once they'd closed for the night, he kept hearing noises that could have been knocks on the door, but weren't. He finally put Severa to work cleaning the dining room, deciding it was best that he clean the kitchen.

He turned on the radio, partly for some background noise while he cleaned, partly because every time Severa's mop handle clattered against walls or tables, he poked his head out to make sure it wasn't the door.

It was getting late. He tried to pretend he didn't notice, but he did. He knew Cupcake didn't have any control over when her rehearsal ended - probably, anyway - but as the hours slipped by, he couldn't help but wonder if she was actually coming. He glanced at the sweets he'd made specifically for their date. (He'd spent the every minute making said sweets debating whether or not he could call it a date. After a long internal debate, he decided it couldn't hurt anything to say it was a date.) Well, if she wasn't coming, he'd have to just... eat them by himself.

He looked at the clock on the wall again - ten thirty-seven. Severa needed to head out. He walked into the dining room to tell her to go home, and his heart jumped as he found her talking with Cupcake through the glass door of the Honey Cake.

"I told you, we're _closed_. Now go away!" Severa practically yelled.

"Severa," Gaius said, a slight edge in his tone. She turned to look at him.

"What? She won't go away, and she won't speak up, so I don't know why she's here!" Severa stopped, taking a minute to study Gaius's face. A quiet, sly smile spread across her face. " _Oh._ I see."

Gaius playfully tossed his cleaning rag at her as he passed on the way to the door. "Put the mop away and go home. I'll see you on Tuesday."

"Not if I see you first," she shot back as she put the mop back into the bucket and wheeled it into the cleaning closet.

Gaius looked at Cupcake, standing just outside the glass door. Her face was flushed, and her shoulders slumped, either in dejection, or a "thank you for coming along" sort of way. He couldn't tell which.

"Hi." A smile spread across his face. She returned it, weakly, and her mouth formed the word "hi" back, though he couldn't hear it through the glass.

He tried unlock the door with ease and finesse, but in reality, it took a few moments. Mentally, he chalked it up to the finicky lock.

"Come on in," he offered, ushering her inside. There was a single table that he'd left the chairs down; the corner booth by the south window. It was a popular spot for the writers and small study groups because of how quiet it was. Not that "quiet" really mattered when the entire place was empty. He hadn't really thought about it when he's picked the table in the middle of the afternoon.

"Okay, wait here, I'll be right back." After getting a hesitant nod from her, Gaius dashed back into the kitchen and picked up the plate of sweets; a few cupcakes with little bears made out of frosting.

"Figured if you were willing to eat the claws, you were willing to eat the whole bear," he teased, putting the plate in the middle of the table. Cupcake's eyes flicked from the cakes to Gaius's face, but only for a moment. "'Course, I'm not expecting you to eat all of them. It'd be pretty hard to eat an entire group of bears by yourself."

That got her to crack a smile, though she still couldn't look at him directly. Hey, it was a start. He sat opposite of her.

"So, let's start over. I'm Gaius, but you knew that. Pleasure to meet you." He extended a hand for her to shake. She hesitated, then took it. Her hands were so soft, so delicate. Gaius had to stop himself before he mentally compared them to some kind of sweet.

"Olivia. Breyers," she added, "but you knew that." She took a deep breath, then met his eyes. She smiled again, and though Gaius could tell she was nervous, or anxious, or something, her gaze didn't waver. She had a lot of determination, underneath all her shyness.

She withdrew her hand after a moment to take a cupcake. Gaius took the opportunity to try and strike a conversation. "Olivia, yeah? That's a nice name. I still like Cupcake, though."

She laughed, once, peeling the wrapper off of her cupcake. "Of all the nicknames I've heard, 'Cupcake' is a new one."

"You look like a Cupcake. Er, not the item itself, but the nickname. Like how some people look like their name, or a name. Like..." he struggled for an example. Did they even know anyone in common that he could use as an example?

"I know what you mean," she assured him. Her voice was light, unimposing, quiet without meaning to be. She took a look at the cupcake, as though she was debating whether or not it was safe to eat.

"Oh, uh, here," Gaius offered a hand. He hadn't even thought about it; the entire situation screamed 'unsafe' for a young girl at night. She placed the cake into his hand, and he took a bite, demonstrating that it was safe. She plucked another treat off the tray, unwrapped it, and nibbled at it.

"This is fantastic!" She took another bite, bigger this time. Gaius grinned. He'd gone with devil's food, since it seemed the safest bet. Everyone liked devil's food. "This is easily the best cupcake I've ever eaten."

"High praise, I'm sure." He leaned back against the booth, relaxing after a long day. "So, you're a dancer. Is there an end goal for you? Broadway, I guess?"

Olivia was suddenly very interested in her wrapper paper. She folded it over on itself, over and over. Gaius was about to change the subject when she spoke.

"Chicago. Probably."

"Probably," Gaius repeated, before realizing he might be overstepping his bounds. "That's understandable. I'm sure there's a lot of places a dancer could set their sights."

She nodded, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, she switched topics. "So, has the bakery always been in your family?"

"Sort of. It started out in my grandparents' hands. Grandpop wanted a business, Grandmom wanted to bake all day long. So they opened up a bakery. Dad inherited it when they retired, Dad married Mom, Mom took a real shine to the place, and it was their baby. And now it's my baby." He glanced around the front room, grinning. It really was his baby, too. He'd put his heart and soul into the place since he was thirteen, wiping tables and washing dishes.

"That's amazing." Olivia's voice brought him back to the present. He felt his face get warm at her compliment. Was he seriously blushing? He couldn't remember the last time he'd blushed. Had he ever even blushed before?

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. Between the two of them, they weren't be able to hold a single, steady conversation for thirty seconds. "So. Bear claws. Something tells me that wasn't a coincidence."

Olivia glanced down at the table, but Gaius could tell she was fighting a smile. "That was my cousin's idea."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Nope." A coy smile played on her lips. "It got your attention. Anna would say 'that's all that matters.'"

"Anna being your cousin, I take it?" Gaius shook his head, wondering just what this Anna person was like, and how much of a hand she had in getting Olivia to ask him for a date.

The two talked until nearly midnight, switching topics so often that it was hard for Gaius to learn anything concrete about her. But it was nice. He enjoyed her company, and her conversation. Her beauty wasn't her only asset - not that he'd expected it to be. It was just nice. Once you peeled back a few layers of her shyness, she was charming, and caring, and just a little bit sassy.

"Can I see you again?" Gaius asked as he was walking her to the door of the bakery. Her face turned bright red in two seconds, which seemed to be a special talent of hers.

"I'd like that." Her voice was quiet, but sincere. Gaius's heart leaped into his throat. Despite his best efforts and hopes, he hadn't expected her to say yes.

"When?"

"I, um, I'll have to let you know. I have my rehearsal schedule, but I'm usually not in town if I don't have rehearsal, and, oh!" She dug her phone out of her bag and handed it to him. "G-go ahead and put your number in. I'll text you."

Gaius beamed. He put his number in, then his name as "Bakery Guy."

"I'll text you once I'm home, so you have my number in your phone. And, um, thank you. For tonight." She stood in the doorway for a moment, rocking back and forth, torn about something. Gaius was facing the same problem. Did he go in for a hug? A kiss on the cheek? Instead of either, he stuck a hand out for her to shake. A look of relief washed over her face as she took his hand in hers.

"It was wonderful meeting you, Gaius."

"Likewise. Oh, it's, I didn't even think about it, it's pretty late. Are you going to be okay getting home?"

"I'll ask Anna to let me sleep on her couch tonight." Her face darkened a shade after she'd finished the thought, but she shook her head. "I'll be okay. Thanks for asking."

And with a small, gentle wave, she walked out into the night. Unable to keep still, Gaius finished closing and cleaning in record time.


	4. Making Plans

Anna was relentless once Olivia got to her apartment.

First and foremost, Anna had been asleep. She had several houses to show the next morning, and she needed her sleep if she was going to be halfway to sociable. Once that was dealt with, instead of going to sleep, Anna plopped her cousin down at the kitchen table with a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses.

"Spill it," she demanded.

Olivia fidgeted. On one hand, she'd hoped to keep the memories of the night to herself, at least until she could sleep on them. They felt like a special secret, just for her. She wanted them to remain special for at least twenty-four hours. But on the other hand, she knew Anna would just make up her own version of what happened if Olivia didn't tell her.

"It wasn't really that exciting, Anna, I promise. We just ate cupcakes and talked."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Anna swirled her tea in her glass, waiting for the copious amounts of sugar she'd added to dissolve. "You're going to knock on my door at friggin midnight-o-clock, and then just sum up your first date in over a year, which I helped you get, no less, in..." She paused to count on her fingers. "In six words?"

Olivia dropped her head onto the table and groaned. "Can the answer be yes?"

"No. I'll wait."

Olivia knew she would, too; Anna was not the most patient person in the world, but she could wait for an answer from someone directly in front of her for hours, if pressed. Sighing, Olivia sat up and took a sip of her tea, collecting her thoughts.

"I got out of rehearsal late, and they were already closed when I got there. And I tried the door, but it was locked, of course, and when I knocked, the other bakery worker told me they were closed, and to go away, and I kept trying to explain my situation, but I guess she couldn't hear me through the door, and then, then Gaius showed up from the back and let me in, and he gave me cupcakes - bear cupcakes, like, with icing that looked like bears - and we just... we talked."

"What did you talk about?"

"Kind of just small talk, I guess. We talked about his bakery, and hobbies, and our future plans..."

"Woah, wait, time out. You're already talking about the future, and this is date _one?"_ Anna made a suggestive humming noise, and Olivia felt her face get hot. She shook her head.

"N-no, just like, goals, personal goals that we're working toward. Things like that. Nothing like, nothing about togetherness, or..."

"I'm teasing, Olive." She put a hand on Olivia's, rolling her eyes. "Did you actually get his number this time?"

"Yes." Olivia kept her voice low, like it was another secret that should have been kept to herself. Before Anna could ask, she added, "And he asked for a second date."

"And what did you say?!"

Olivia dreaded this part the most. Earlier that day, she'd been reminding herself that she didn't have time for boys, or dates, or any kind of romantic involvement with anyone. Not if it was going to distract her from dancing. And what did she do? She let herself be wooed by the bakery boy. Part of her was excited to see him again, that was the most maddening part for her.

"I said yes."

Anna shrieked. She didn't say anything, she just screamed, like this was the best news she'd ever heard.

Olivia shushed her. "You'll wake the landlord!"

"I don't care! I do not care! My baby cousin is finally trying to get herself a boyfriend!" Anna jumped up and walked to the fridge. "This calls for a celebration. You want white wine, or red?"

"Neither? You said you had clients in the morning, you should probably get to bed."

Anna glanced at the clock on the stove. "Oh, damn. Well, okay, the next time I see you, we're celebrating."

Olivia agreed, only so that Anna would let her go to sleep. Anna set up the pull-out mattress while Olivia borrowed another pair of pajamas, and then the girls gave each other a brief goodnight. Once Anna was out of sight, Olivia sent a quick "Hi, it's Olivia!" to the new contact in her phone - "Bakery Guy." She chuckled at that.

The young woman laid in her bed for the night, looking up at the ceiling and running the day again in her mind, replaying it over and over. She kept wondering how she'd gone from "I'm not dating anyone" to "I'll give this guy a second date." Was it the the fact that he'd stayed open just to see her? How he'd wanted to make sure she felt safe? Or was it something simple, like his eyes, or his hair?

She closed her eyes and rolled over. The last thought she had before going to sleep was "well, if you're going to date a boy, you could do a lot worse than the bakery guy."

* * *

Olivia didn't see much of Gaius for a few days. She rode the subway home the morning after the incident, and the next time she had rehearsal wasn't for another five days. She spent most of her time home in her workroom, which she'd designated as a "no phone zone" once she realized that texts and calls were interfering with her workflow. On days like these, though, that rule was excruciating.

Midway through the day, she decided she needed some more paint. She had no idea if this was true or not - no one had ordered a painting in weeks, if not months, and she hadn't touched her paint supplies since then. But she could _hear_ her phone vibrating on the kitchen table, and she needed an excuse to get out of the workroom. So, she set down her current beading project, hung up her apron, and grabbed her phone on the way out the door. She didn't let herself check the texts until after she'd gotten to the craft store. If she'd looked at the texts beforehand, she'd want to reply to them. If she replied, she'd get more while she was driving, and texting while driving was dangerous. So she sat in the parking lot, reading through her messages. Mostly from Anna and Sumia (about plans for the promised "celebration," which had not been forgotten, and plans after rehearsals, respectively), but one from Gaius.

11:37 am > How've you been?

She'd expected him to try and make plans for their next date sooner than making small talk. She was horrible at small talk with strangers. Over text, no less. But the least she could do was try, right?

Sorry for the late reply! I'm doing well. The past few days have been very productive. How about you? < 2:05 pm

She shoved her phone back into her pocket and walked into the craft store, making a beeline for the paints section. The issue was, she had no idea what paints she actually needed, if any; she hadn't bothered to take inventory before she left, she just needed to get out of the workroom. And now, she was paying for it. So she kind of just stood there, in the isle, looking at the watercolor tubes and feeling dumb.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She jumped, butterflies exploding in her stomach. It was another text from Anna.

 

2:16 pm > What day is your next rehearsal?

Here's my rehearsal schedule. My numbers are "Dependent" and "Better Than Being in Bad Company"< 2:16 pm

[attached - IMG 0320] < 2:16 pm

2:17 pm > Awesome. You're welcome to stay any days you have consecutive rehearsal days. I'll give you the spare key next time I see you.

You're the best. Thanks, Anna! <3 < 2:18 pm

No response from Gaius. He was working, of course, so she shouldn't have been surprised. But she was nervous about the whole ordeal. Nervous about seeing him, or even just talking to him. Nervous, but excited. And nervous that she was excited.

After staring at paint tubes and waiting for texts after a while, she sighed and pulled a few watercolors of assorted colors and started psyching herself up to speak to the checkout person when she went to pay for them.

Her phone went off just as she was walking to her car, purchases in hand. She startled, pulling the phone out of her pocket. "Bakery Guy." She took a few deep breaths, got into her car, and unlocked her phone.

2:32 > No problem. Doing pretty well, busy day at the bakery. A few of my part-timers want some more hours, though, meaning I can schedule some time off for myself. Do you have a day I could see you next week?

Oh! Well, I have rehearsal on Monday and Wednesday. Do either of those work for you? < 2:39

2:41 > Why don't we do Monday, then? What time is your rehearsal?

It'll be from 6-9 pm, but I have to catch my train home right afterwards. Would you want to do something in the morning or afternoon? < 2:41

2:42 > Sounds good to me. You want me to meet you at the sub station?

Oh, sure! I can text you when I get on, it'll be about a half an hour trip. Is that enough warning for you? < 2:43

2:43 > Yup, that should be fine. :D

Great! < 2:43

Olivia's heart pounded. The good thing about texts? She couldn't stutter, and she could take as much time as she needed to formulate a reply. The bad thing? She always felt the need to reply in a timely manner, as long as it didn't break any of her rules. (Like the workroom rule. That was a big one.) So now, without thinking, she'd told Gaius to meet her at the station, giving her even less time to prepare herself for their date. (It was a date, right?)

She shook her head. She couldn't let herself think about it anymore. She turned the key in the ignition and started driving, singing along to the radio to clear her head. Once home, she plopped her phone onto the kitchen table, and picked her beading project back up, determined to finish it, so she could get to painting. She wasn't sure what she was going to paint, but she'd figure it out when she got to that point.

* * *

"What are you smiling about?" Severa stepped into the office during a lull in customers. Gaius didn't need to look up from the schedule he was writing out to know exactly what look she was giving him. He pretended he didn't hear her, consulting the requests-off book as he jotted down names and times.

"Gaius. Gaius. I know you can hear me, so you can stop acting like I'm not here. "

"I'm taking Monday off, do you want to be the shift manager in the evening, or should I ask one of the twins?"

"Me." The response was immediate. "The M&Ms need more training before they're ready to be unsupervised managers."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you really cared about this place, Severa." He swiveled around in his chair to grin at her.

"Don't you start." She met his gaze with a glare, face flushing just a touch. "I'm only in it for the potential raise."

"You know I'll make you full-time once you've graduated. The Honey Cake is gonna miss you when September rolls around."

"Let it miss me. I'm going to college after high school."

"Well," he spun his chair to look at the schedule again, "you do what's best for you. But if you change your mind, the offer stands." He wrote her name down for Monday evening.

"Why are you taking Monday off, anyway?"

"The college kids want more time on the schedule. And I trust you kids won't burn the place down."

"Gaius."

"I may or may not have a date on Monday." He tried to mask his giddiness with irritation, but he wasn't sure it worked. Either way, it didn't deter Severa in the slightest.

"I knew it! It's that girl from before, right, the one who came after close?"

Mercifully, the bell above the bakery door rang, and Severa stepped out of the office to go take care of the customer, but not without grumbling about it. Gaius liked Severa, he really did. But she was very good at digging into personal details so that she could bring them up when you least wanted them to be brought up.

He finalized the schedule for the coming week, then leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head, grinning.

He'd gone ahead and planned two dates. If the weather stayed nice, he'd take her to the park; there was some kind of festival going on down there all week, and those were always fun, no matter what they were focused around. Except maybe the yoga one he'd been to last year. That wasn't really up his alley. If it was raining, they'd go to the art museum. She seemed like a very cultured young lady, she'd probably appreciate a trip to the museum. And, though it wasn't his favorite place in town, he hadn't been in years. Who knew? Maybe he'd acquired a taste for oil on canvas. Or something.

He took a picture of the schedule with his phone and then sent it off to the employees before hanging it on the cork board in the office. He then grabbed a sanitizing cloth from the kitchen and walked into the main room to wipe down tables before the 6 o'clock rush.

Severa snorted as he passed, but he pretended not to notice. If she wanted the details, she could wait until the date actually happened. No point in jinxing himself by telling her everything, only for Olivia to needing to cancel for any reason.  
  
Monday. He couldn't wait.


End file.
